Movers & Shakers: North West

2021

February

• Simpson Millar has announced the hire of Lorraine Harvey to its national family law team

• Ward Hadaway has announced the appointment of a new director to head up the firm’s social housing offering in Manchester: Melanie Dirom

• Michael McNally and Adam Pavey have joined Pannone Corporate as directors in the employment and HR team

• Aaron & Partners has appointed Vlad Macdonald-Munteanu as a senior associate in the wills, trusts and tax department

• Simpson Millar has welcomed Alana Graham to its contentious probate team

• Taylors Solicitors has strengthened its team with the arrival of a commercial disputes partner, Stuart Farr

• Leonard Curtis Legal has appointed Katharine Lawrenson as a director to head up its dispute resolution team

• Clough & Willis has promoted Caroline Rimmer to conveyancing assistant

• Amy Jones has joined Stephensons’ family law department

• O’Connors has appointed Kerry Brooks as a solicitor in the corporate team

• Watsons Solicitors has recently welcomed Chris Illingworth to the firm’s conveyancing department

• Squire Patton Boggs has announced a number of partner promotions including Manchester-based Louise Barber (corporate)

• Bermans has announced several promotions to partner: Andrew Henderson (asset-based lending team) and Mike Smeaton (litigation and dispute resolution team)

• Sarah Jay has joined Addleshaw Goddard’s finance team in Manchester as a legal director

• Harrison Drury has appointed Jonie Little as an associate solicitor in the commercial property team

• Cartwright King has welcomed immigration solicitor Mohammed Hafejee to its Manchester office

• Bermans has announced several promotions to senior associate: Gareth Farrelly (sports team), David Keenan (sports team), Alissa Marsh (asset-based lending team), and Melanie Morris (property team)

• Brabners has appointed Arshia Hashmi as a senior associate in the employment team

• Stephensons has appointed two solicitors to its commercial department: David Jones (dispute resolution) Sheroze Nadeem (commercial litigation)

March

• BLM has re-elected senior partner Matthew Harrington for a second three-year term, effective from 1 March 2021

• Ridwaan Omar, partner and head of regulatory, insurance, at Forbes solicitors, has gained his NEBOSH National General Certificate on Occupational Health & Safety

• Jolliffe & Co has announced that current managing partner and head of corporate and commercial, Simon Williams, is to leave Jolliffes on 31 March 2021. Mark Fergusson will take over leadership of the corporate and commercial team. In addition, Hugh Butler, head of the private client team, will become senior partner from 1 April 2021.

• Weightmans has appointed Toby Morse as its new intelligence manager

• Ward Hadaway has expanded its environment team in Manchester with the appointment of two solicitors; Emma Collins and Chris Devitt

• Alex Megaw has joined Clarke Willmott’s Manchester offic, as a consultant in the commercial and private client litigation team

• Hall Brown Family Law has welcomed solicitors Michelle Ashworth and Holly Cook

• Myerson Solicitors has welcomed four new solicitors to the firm: Emily Roberts and Hassan Shah (real estate), Katie Hayes (contentious trusts and probate) and Nasima Khatun (commercial)

• Bromleys Solicitors has welcomed Chris Brayshaw and Rebecca Calverley to its Court of Protection team

• Capsticks has made a number of recent appointments in its housing team, to include Rebecca Evans

• Law firm Bromleys has enhanced its Court of Protection team with two appointments; Chris Brayshaw and Rebecca Calverley

April

• Pinsent Masons has announced the promotion of 19 new partners with effect from 1 May 2021, including Arwyn Jones (energy, infrastructure) in Manchester

• Nik White has been re-elected as managing partner of Brabners for a second three-year term

• Principal lawyer, Ben Gent, has joined Slater and Gordon as interim head of the Manchester medical negligence team

• Richard Whalley has joined Primas Law as a partner and to head up the employment law department

• DWF has appointed Jordan Owen to lead its global entity management service

• Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has welcomed two new recruits: solicitor Holly Berwick joins the agricultural team and Private client executive, Sarah Heal

• Napthens has made a number of senior appointments: senior associate solicitor Charlotte Barron, solicitor Jordan Davies and Andy Ellis, a health & safety consultant and specialist in construction

• Hibberts LLP has announced that wills and probate solicitor Michaela Warner has been appointed to the Cheshire and North Wales Junior Law Division committee

• Jackson Lees has launched a new corporate and commercial department and has appointed Charlotte Mills to lead the practice

• Primas Law has welcomed two new solicitors in Manchester: Bushra Zaman (real estate) and Jonathan Barratt (corporate and commercial)

• Prosperity Law has welcomed solicitor Pamela Chesterman as head of planning, establishing a new planning team based in the Liverpool office

• Vincents Solicitors has launched a commercial property department at its Lytham office

• McDaniels Law has opened a new office in Carlisle, led by managing associate Adam Turley

• Eversheds Sutherland has announced that Richard Hill (commercial) has been promoted in the Manchester office

• Clyde & Co has announced the promotion of Rebecca Lindsay (insurance – casualty) to equity partner in Manchester

• CMS has announced the promotion of Neil Lacey (real estate) to partner in Liverpool

• Fieldfisher has appointed Chris Gee as a dispute resolution partner in the firm’s Manchester office

• Fieldfisher has promoted Bridget Collier (mesothelioma and asbestos practice in the north west lead) to partner in its Manchester office

• Leigh Day has promoted personal injury solicitor Ross Whalley to partner in the Manchester office

• JMW solicitors has made a number of senior promotions to full equity partner: Elspeth Kinder and Michael Chapman in family law, Steve Morris in commercial litigation and Thomas Pearson in real estate commercial along with Beverley Jones in family law in Liverpool.

• JMW has also made seven promotions to fixed share equity partner in Manchester: Alison Parry (commercial, litigation and contentious probate); Joe Cobb (wills, trusts and probate); Lee McGovern (head of the client services team); Paul Burton (real estate commercial); Richard Parkinson (head of commercial); and Stephen Taylor Heath (head of sport). There have also been two promotions to partner in the Manchester office – Jenny Arnold (family law) and Rebecca Young (media law).

• Deloitte Legal has announced the appointment of Claire Bell as partner and head of the firm’s pensions law offering

• Eversheds Sutherland has promoted Jane Lancaster (core real estate) to legal director in the Manchester office

• Leigh Day has promoted a number of new associates in Manchester: William Broadbent and Louisa Saville (personal injury)

• Excello Law has expanded into Manchester city centre with the opening of a new office at 3 Hardman Square and the recruitment of family lawyers Katie McCann and Michael Gregory

• Slater and Gordon has appointed John Davis and Kate Nicklin as members of the serious injury team in Manchester

• Brabners has recruited clinical negligence specialist, Fiona Tinsley, to its litigation team

• Napthens has appointed senior associate solicitor James Stephenson to its Liverpool office, as part of its commercial litigation team

• Cartmell Shepherd has made a number of senior promotions. Katherine Pretswell-Walker (agriculture and estates) has been appointed to the firm’s board of directors. Six new senior associates have been promoted; Amy Fallows has taken over from Julian Nelson as head of the family law department. Elizabeth Crouch (property department) becomes a senior associate and head of the Brampton office, while Claire Wilson (wills, probate and inheritance) now leads the Cockermouth office.

• Cartmell Shepherd has made several senior associate promotions: Mike Little (commercial property), Stephanie Johnson (dispute resolution) and Sam Lyon (head of corporate and commercial) and there have been four promotions to associate: Megan Wilkinson and Nicholas Devlin from the wills, probate and inheritance team, and Rebecca Armstrong and David Tew from the dispute resolution team

May

• DLA Piper has promoted George Nicolson to Partner (employment)

• Addleshaw Goddard has promoted George Danczak (corporate) and Samantha Haigh (commercial disputes) to partner

• Weightmans has made a number of partner promotions including Louise Mutch (large loss), Samantha Gittoes (motor), Martin English (regulatory), Lee Rogers (employment) and Jon Gregson (employment) in the Liverpool office. Meanwhile, Simon Forster (large loss) has been promoted in the Manchester office.

• Irwin Mitchell has made a number of partner promotions, including Graham Thomson (IT) and Richard Allan (real estate) in the Manchester office.

• Kennedys has promoted a number of new partners including Tom Handley and Hannah Williams in the Manchester office

• Harrison Drury has promoted Nicola Beneduce and James Robbins to partner.

• Stephensons has made three partner promotions. A children law specialist, Jackie Price, Tim Galbraith specialises in care proceedings and Duncan Phillips who has worked exclusively in criminal litigation.

• Anthony Collins Solicitors has appointed Suzanne Gregson as a partner.

• Glaisyers Solicitors has made a number of senior appointments. The litigation team has welcomed four new lawyers : senior associate Kathryn Parrish, solicitors Shameem Ali and Michael Wilson, and legal assistant Owen Coyle.

• Simpson Millar has appointed Cara Nuttall as a family law partner from JMW solicitors.

• Fiona Bushell has joined Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester tax, trusts and estates team, as a solicitor

• Harrison Drury has promoted Jack Stephenson to senior associate and Jenna Atkinson has become an associate in the family law team

• Richard Crabtree, a brain injury specialist, has re-joined Slater and Gordon in Manchester.

• Browne Jacobson has made a number of promotions to senior associate including Melanie Hilton (banking) in the Manchester office.

• Simpson Millar has welcomed senior associate Jo-Anna Jellings and solicitor Joe Ailion to the firm

• Napthens has appointed James Stephenson as a senior associate solicitor in the commercial litigation team based in the Liverpool office.

• Baines Wilson has appointed solicitor Christopher Clayton to its disputes resolution and litigation team.

• Woodcocks Haworth & Nuttall has promoted associate Jennifer Prysiaznyj to head of residential conveyancing.

• Preston-based Adkirk Law has appointed a new director to strengthen its senior team. Deepika Raino joins the firm as head of practice in professional regulation and healthcare

• Kennedys has appointed Nathan Buckley as a regulatory partner based in Manchester

• Clarke Willmott has promoted Andrew Stone to partner in the Manchester office.

• Trowers & Hamlins partner, Katie Saunders has been elected to join the board of The Housing Forum

• Hill Dickinson has promoted 19 lawyers to legal director. Promoted in the firm’s Liverpool headquarters are: Elan Iorwerth (corporate); Emma Howard (corporate); Kate Steele (commercial litigation); Aoife Ryan (regulatory); Nina Sahu (health litigation) and Louise Wilson (health advisory). And in the Manchester office; Sinead Mohan (employment); James Down (corporate); Alex Smith (commercial litigation); David Banks (construction); Nick Citron (health litigation); and Richard Parker (health commercial).

• Kate Edwards, a Court of Protection specialist, has joined Simpson Millar. Based in Manchester

• Stephensons has announced five senior associate promotions. Kerrie Ainscough, . Christine Hodge, Gary Jackson,  Sophie Maloney and Jessica Saunders.

• Kuits has appointed Claire Hollins as a senior associate in the employment team.

• Pearson Solicitors has promoted solicitor Jacqueline White to head of the medical negligence department.

• Alicia Renshaw has joined Leonard Curtis Legal as a senior associate.

June

• Harrison Drury has appointed Malcolm Ireland, a licensing specialist, as a partner and head of leisure and licensing

• gunnercooke has made a number of partner appointments. In the Manchester office, Philippa Torkington joins as a private client partner, and Simon Williams as a corporate partner. Other new hires in Manchester include dispute resolution lawyer James Pheasant and gunnercooke operating partner Shaun Hughes.

• Forbes solicitors has announced the promotion of five new partners. Kirsty Varley and Sarah Rogers in the firm’s housing and regeneration litigation team, along with employment lawyer Amy Stokes, Tim Smith in the insurance team and commercial property law specialist Matthew Jones have all been promoted.

• Butcher & Barlow has promoted Rachel Martin to partner and acting head of commercial property.
• Primas Law has promoted associate, Tim Dillon, to the role of senior associate within the real estate team. Dillon has worked at Primas Law since 2017. Meanwhile, Ann-Marie Daly has completed her traineeship at Primas Law and is now a solicitor within the real estate arm.

• Fieldings Porter has promoted David Darlington and Emma Manifold to partners

• Irwin Mitchell has appointed Stefano D’Ambrosio as a solicitor in the planning and environment team.

• Clarke Willmott has appointed Louise Goodwin as a senior associate in the litigation team based in the Manchester office.

• Hill Dickinson has made two appointments to the family team. A resolution-accredited specialist, Ellie Webster joins as a senior associate and has a special focus on complex private child law. Laura Bond joins as an associate and has experience of working with a niche family practice.

• Slater and Gordon has welcomed clinical negligence lawyer Anna Hansen to its Manchester office

• Simpson Millar has appointed Kayleigh Smith as an associate solicitor in the Court of Protection team based in Manchester.

• Butcher & Barlow has promoted James Holton, who heads the property dispute resolution team, to associate

• Butcher & Barlow has made two senior appointments with solicitors Julie Honeychurch and Seema McWilliam joining the commercial property team.

• Primas Law has made two senior appointments. New to the corporate and commercial department is solicitor Alena Makarevich and Usama Sheikh joins the insolvency team

• Clough & Willis has appointed Claire Birch as a residential conveyancer.

• FDR Law has appointed Darren White as an associate solicitor in the family department.

July

• Pannone Corporate has appointed Barry Sharples as an associate partner in the debt recovery team

• Hill Dickinson has appointed recovery and insolvency specialist, Mark Lund, as a consultant lawyer in the restructuring team based in the Manchester office.

• Broudie Jackson Canter has appointed Clair Hilder as inquests team head.

• Hudgell Solicitors has been joined by catastrophic injury lawyer Sarah Patten in Manchester.

• Napthens has made a number of senior appointments. Laura Hartley- Williams joins the business recovery team

• Brown Turner Ross has appointed Micaela Dempsey as head of civil and commercial litigation
• Kuits has welcomed Tom Christie as an associate to its litigation team. . Other new joiners in the team are solicitors: Carl Sebastian, who has experience in financial litigation cases, Hasin Amin, who focuses mainly on property disputes and Jake Slinger, who started his career as a trainee at the firm  qualifying as a solicitor in March 2021, has also joined the commercial litigation department.

• Capsticks has appointed Jennifer Hankinson as a legal director based in Chorley.

• Matthew Astley, head of the sports law team at Harrison Drury, has been appointed to the Football Association’s national serious case panel for the 2021-22 football season.

• Horwich Farrelly has made a number of senior promotions. In the Manchester office, Brendan Hill, Philip Melia, Louisa Palmas, Cherelle Doherty and Paul Leyden (all counter fraud), Stuart Cahill (intelligence services) and Raheema Mohammed (motor & casualty volume) have all become senior associates. Also in the Manchester office, Charlotte Whalley and Anthony Snell (both costs), Naila Ali, Kathryn Dingley and Robert Leyden (all counter fraud), Sarah Jones (credit hire), Catherine Rooke (motor & casualty volume) and Katie Porter (motor & casualty LACIG) have all become associates.

• Slater Heelis has appointed Louise Richardson as a consultant solicitor in the firm’s family team based in Sale.

• CEL Solicitors has appointed Andy London as head of legal standards and compliance officer for legal practice

• McAlister Family Law has announced the recruitment of Brigid O’Malley as associate and Stephanie Eastwood as solicitor.

August

• Irwin Mitchell has appointed Christine Thornley as a partner in the firm’s private client services team in Manchester.

• Davis Blank Furniss has appointed Danielle Cobb as a solicitor in the family team based primarily in the Glossop office.

• Harrison Drury has appointed senior associate Lara Watts to its commercial property team.

• Slater and Gordon has welcomed a number of new joiners to its family law team. Consultant Helen Morgan, Principal lawyer John Owens,senior associate Emma McMorrow, and associates Gabrielle Dugan, Clare Pinnington of Pinnington Law,  John Newberry and Angela Brown.

• Irwin Mitchell has expanded its asbestos team in Manchester with the appointment of two new senior solicitors. Helen Tomlin joins as a senior associate and Victoria Cadman as a new associate on the asbestos team.

• Provenio Litigation has appointed John Smith as head of finance and administration.

• Beyond Professional Services Group has appointed Oisín Quinn as a senior associate and Matthew O’Brien as a legal executive in the corporate litigation and dispute resolution team.

September

• Hugh Jones Solicitors has announced a number of promotions. Court of Protection specialists Jenny Roberts and Chris Gallagher join the board of directors, while Kate Forster, David Jones and Fiona Ludkin have been promoted to senior associate. Also in the Court of Protection team, Hayley Chesters takes a new position as associate and Lindsay Savage and Darren Scholes as executive. Finally, Tania McGrory, Charlotte Crawford, David Jones and Fiona Ludkin have all been appointed as directors of the Hugh Jones Trust Corporation

• Prosperity Law has welcomed five new members to the property law department in Manchester.

• O’Connors Legal Services has appointed Alison Chu as a solicitor in the insurance team. Chu was called to the Bar in 2010 and cross-qualified as a solicitor in 2013.

• Simpson Millar welcomes seven internal candidates onto new Solicitor Qualification Programme

• Anita North has joined Simpson Millar’s employment law team in Manchester.

• Taylors Solicitors has welcomed back commercial disputes and intellectual property expert Rebecca Horne less than two years after she left the firm.

• Aaron & Partners has made a number of promotions in the Chester office. Paul Hennity has been promoted to senior  associate in the employment team.

• Kennedys has announced the promotion of 86 associates to senior associate and introduced a new legal director role, with 44 legal directors and two special counsel. In Manchester, promoted to legal director are: Andrew Davidson (commercial), Lucy Suddaby (insurance), Scott Nightingale (insurance) and Geoff Shreeve (insurance). The newly promoted senior associates are: Andrew Robinson (commercial), Arran Roberts (insurance), Chloe Banks (insurance), Triona Fitzgerald (insurance), Daniel Rainsford (commercial), Daniel Sandler (liability), Gemma Williams (insurance) and Geraldine Wharton (commercial).

• Aaron & Partners has promoted Joseph Fletcher-Hunt to partner in the real estate team in the Chester office. He joined the firm in 2019.

• gunnercooke has announced the hire of 11 new partners across the firm. In Manchester, Sydney Fulda (litigation) joins from DAC Beachcroft.

• Anthony Collins Solicitors has appointed Thomas Starkey as a partner in the Manchester office.

• Irwin Mitchell has appointed Christine Thornley as a partner in the firm’s private client services team in Manchester.

October

• Simpson Millar has announced that Helen Neville, a partner in the firm’s medical negligence team, has been appointed a Deputy District Judge on the Northern circuit.

• Browne Jacobson has appointed Graham Ball as head of its banking and finance team in Manchester.

• Browne Jacobson has appointed Cat Driscoll (née Harrison) as a partner in the IP practise in Manchester.

• Slater Heelis has created a faith and charities division with the acquisition of Towns Needham.

• Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand has appointed David Park as senior partner.  He succeeds David Gillibrand, who has retired from full-time work but will continue as a consultant one day a week.

• Brabners has made two partner appointments. Jessica Parry, a property litigation specialist, joins the real estate team. Amanda Bailey, a wills, tax and family trust specialist, joins the private client team.

• Stoke-on-Trent firm, Beswicks Legal has completed the acquisition of Maddocks Clarke Solicitors, expanding its presence in the north-west. Maddocks Clarke specialises in residential and commercial property, family law and wills and probate. Nick Whitworth, partner at Maddocks Clarke, will lead the team supported by lawyers across all practice areas to provide a multi-disciplinary offering in Altrincham.

• Beswicks Legal has appointed Rachel Watkinson as a private wealth partner in the Altrincham office.

• Browne Jacobson has appointed Ragene Raithatha as a legal director in its construction practice in Manchester. 

• Browne Jacobson has appointed Phil Singleton as commercial contracts associate in the firm’s Manchester office.

• Beswicks Legal has appointed Louise Allen as a private wealth associate based in the Altrincham office.

• Taylors Solicitors has welcomed back commercial disputes and intellectual property specialist Rebecca Horne.

December

• Stowe Family Law LLP has widened its regional presence in the North West with the opening of an office in Stockton Heath, Warrington. The office is headed up by partner Camilla Burton-Baddeley who is experienced in all aspects of family Law. She  will be supported by managing partner Helen Miller and solicitor Megan Brookfield.

• Irwin Mitchell has appointed Victoria Tague as an associate in the planning and environment team based in the Manchester office.

• Pannone Corporate has appointed Oliver Moore as a solicitor in the insolvency and restructuring team and Kenneth Tang as a solicitor in the dispute resolution team.

• Fiona Bruce LLP has welcomed Rachel Keegan as a solicitor in the wills and probate department.

• Cartmell Shepherd has welcomed employment solicitor Jennifer Cafferky.

• Aticus Law has appointed Gaynor Beckett as head of the employment law team.